: I moved to zone 6 in 2001 (from FL) and bulb gardening is new to me.

: Our hyacinths apparently multiplied or something (this was their 2nd blooming season) as we had alot more bloom this year. Now some of the dead flowers seem to be getting seeds ... a green bulbous thing is forming behind many of the dead flowerheads.

: Are these seeds? If so, how and when do I plant them?

Hi Clutterbug,

I like your name! :) If you are talking about the hybrid hyacinths that are fragrant and have the large bloom stalks, then what you are seeing is probably a seed. It is most likely sterile as these hyacinths are hybrids. Even if it isn't sterile, hybrids don't come true from seed and will revert back to the parent plant. Sometimes the bulbs will produce offsets over time but that occurs underground. I remove the bloom stalk so that the remaining foilage will go into producing food for the bulb for next years bloom instead of the energy going for seed production. What usually happens is that the following years the plants often revert to the species type with less blooms in each stalk. Most folks treat them as annuals and replant yearly. I just leave mine in the ground and let nature take it's course. I live in zone 7.

There is a plant called a grape hyacinth - Muscari that will naturalize and you'll have more every year once they are established. It could take 3 years or more for them to start producing babies. They are fragrant, but not as much as the big ones. Here's what they look like.http://store.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/cgi-bin/bulbs2/32-0108?id=I85LGXSs&mv_pc=283

Take a look around these two sites. They should be helpful. Be sure and read the FAQ's at the second site for lots of helpful info.